Between a heatwave that threatened to fry my laptop and my brain, and falling back into an old fandom it took far too long to finish this chapter. I hope it's worth the wait.


Green eyes watched the unknown woman with interest.

He had expected her to get up from the floor after she fell down and run out of this place. But instead she carefully reached to touch the light globe he created to illuminate the darkness of the cave that was his home for many years.

He watched her gently cup the globe in both hands and smile slightly.

Moments later a small smile appeared on his face as well when she mouthed a shocked, "Wow...". But it vanished as fast as it appeared. Because his mind finally registered what his eyes were seeing.

An intruder.

He took a step closer and Jane finally looked up from the wonder in her hands only to see anger swirling in stranger's green eyes. Anger directed at her. Because she dared to come inside the cave, because she found it in the first place. Because she will leave and tell the others about this place and about him.

And he wasn't willing to let that happen.

He had spent too many years evading those who looked for him.

Lael wasn't a fool. He knew there were some with questionable interest searching for any real proof of his existence and location. He may not leave his sanctuary often but he knew. He heard the whispers.

Before, when the lands around him were still pure and clean he ventured out more often and traveled further away. But with the technology came the weariness. The humans around him became far too eager to kill and destroy. To pollute the land that feed them and water that was so essential for them.

There were times in the past when he wished he did not escape the burning house but instead died where he was raised, among things he knew and held dear. But instead he continued to live and see the world change. Change by people who cared about little else but themselves.

And this one in front of him was just like them.

Jane took a shaky breath and released the globe of light from her grasp that floated away from her and towards it's creator the moment it was free. And then slowly, like she stood in front of a wind animal and didn't want to startle it, she started to stand up.

Lael instantly growled in warning.

"I'm sorry..." Jane whispered and tried to take a step back away from him but once more tripped over her canvas backpack. Only this time she didn't fall down on the hard ground. This time a hand grasped her wrist tightly and pulled her in the other direction.

And Jane found herself pressed to the strangers chest.

"Who are you?" his voice sounded like silk but the strange accent she couldn't place and obvious anger behind the question made the young astrophysicist close her eyes and pull away slightly. But he refused to let her go, his grasp on her arm still strong enough to leave a bruise on her skin.

"Jane. Jane Foster." she whispered.

Lael didn't really care about her name, it wasn't what he wanted to know. He was more interested in learning who she worked for. But she was obviously being intentionally obtuse.

He didn't know what they called themselves just that they existed. He was visiting a village somewhere South in a land where they spoke a different language when he learned about them. When he heard the whispers about a village that was burned down by people that searched for a blue man.

Lael still felt guilty for that. For his control slipping and his blue skin becoming visible to few people after he saw her. The girl with blue eyes and hair like gold. The girl who looked like Signe.

She must have died in the fire as well. The whispers said there were no survivors.

"How did you find this place? Did they tell you where to look? Do they know I'm here?" he started to fire out questions as his grip tightened even further.

Until a quiet sob that escaped Jane's lips made him realize he was causing her pain.

Jane gingerly massaged her forearm, trying to get the circulation going again, all the while worriedly waiting for the stranger to say something else. Because right now she wasn't sure what to say that wouldn't upset him again.

She had a feeling truthfully answering his questions wasn't going to be enough for that.

The little globe of light floated in front of the strange man that lived in the cave, bathing his face in eerie light and created shadows that made him look monstrous to the frightened woman in front of him. She wanted to turn around and run away but Jane knew what was waiting for her outside.

If those two realized she wasn't with the excursion group anymore they were probably looking for her and they... Jane gasped and turned around to look at the entrance into the cave. But it was hard to notice it, despite it's size, due to a fact it curved and the actual opening was just behind the bend.

"Waiting for someone to arrive and rescue you from a monster?" he mocked but Jane noticed how he practically spit out the word 'monster'.

Had he considered himself as such?

"Hiding." she answered shortly and turned to look at the strange dark haired man again, "They are looking for me."

"They? Who are they?"

"I don't know."

Green eyes continued to observe her closely, taking a note of every little thing, every single nervous movement and shaky breath she took. She feared him but it seemed she feared whom ever was out there even more.

"I am Lael. The monster." he suddenly said and Jane's eyes widened in shock.

She stood frozen in the spot as he turned around and started to walk away, deeper into the dark cave. Only when the globe of light floated after him, leaving her in near darkness did Jane snapped out of it and followed him.

She followed him despite every single nerve in her body screamed she should turn around and run back out. Because outside in the sunlight was safety. Here in the darkness was the unknown.

And nothing could be more unknown then the man that possessed a floating globe of light. Her inquisitive mind would find no rest if she left without learning more about how that was possible.

So Jane lifted her backpack from the floor where it fell and followed Lael into the darkness.


The space around them was so large Jane couldn't see the cave walls. Despite four globes of light, identical to the one she previously held in her hands, floated lazily around the pair of them they never managed to illuminate the cave completely.

"You called yourself a monster." Jane interrupted the tense silence, "Why?"

"It is what I am."

He looked slightly uncomfortable under her gaze, felt like she was analyzing him in an attempt to recognize what others have seen centuries ago.

"I don't see it. I don't believe it." Jane said calmly, and when he looked at her sharply she clarified, "You let go of my arm the moment you realized you were hurting me. A monster would have squeezed harder. You let go and then prevented me from falling down. You-"

"You know nothing!" Lael growled, "I am a monster that hides behind this face, behind this skin. You have not seen me like they have!"

Jane flinched at his anger but still she felt no fear. What she said to him was true. It felt safe to be around him; she couldn't really explain it.

Something in his rant kept bothering her, kept poking at her mind. He said 'they' have seen him as a monster. Jane looked down at the bag next to her feet and wondered if the answer could be so close. And so incredible. The letter was ancient. It couldn't possibly be him.

"Your silence tells me you have finally seen the truth." his silky voice echoed slightly in the large cave and gave Jane goosebumps. He had an incredible voice.

But instead of answering him she asked a simple question, "How old are you?"

"I am old." he answered cryptically. But it was an answer to itself and gave Jane plenty of clues. The fact he managed to produce globes of light was a clue too.

He may not be human.

Reaching down she took her backpack and lifted it on the flat stone she was sitting on. She could feel his eyes following her every movement and it made her nervous. What if she was wrong? What if she insults him?

Two sandwiches she packed this morning were on top and she took them out before handing one to the man opposite of her.

Jane could see the look of pure shock on his face as his eyes moved from her face to her hand that held the offering. She presumed he simply didn't expect her to share.

She had no idea his long dead mother was the only one who ever ensured he had something to eat.

For centuries he stole to feed himself. It became easier after he discovered he could become invisible. He only wished the sight he had seen on that day could become as unseen as him. Even now, even after all these years, he clearly remembers her face. Her expression when she saw caught the glimpse of him at the edge of the settlement.

Signe whom he loved deeply... and a little child that held her hand.

She looked ready to scream. And then she looked confused.

And he had noticed he could not see his reflection in the window.

Signe must have believed him dead, a ghost that came to haunt them. For no one ever came to look for him. No one ever found him until this odd woman that offered him her food.

And he accepted it.

In exchange he made two apples appear from wherever he makes them go and handed her one.

And she accepted it; after gaping in wonder at something he no longer thought as special.

"Why are you here?" he finally asked after taking a bite out of the sandwich Jane gave him, "You claimed you are not searching for me. But what are you searching for?"

Jane remembered what she was reaching for from her bag in the first place and took out her small notebook and opened it, "I am a scientist, I'm researching space mostly and trying to find a way to create a bridge that would connect the worlds."

"You believe there are other worlds out there?" he knew there was eagerness to hear her response in his voice, but if Jane noticed it she didn't comment on it.

"Honestly I don't know, there is no actual proof. But I would like to believe there are." she was honest with him, "Anyway... I came to Norway because of the strange reading my scanner picked up recently. I never saw anything like it before and had to find the source."

"I see."

Jane shrugged, "I found you instead."

Lael looked at her closely, confused by this young woman. There were so many conflicting things inside his mind going on right now. He didn't trust people, how could he after what happened with those he grew up with, but at the same time he wanted to trust her.

He had no reason not to.

"What is it?" he eventually asked after seeing her frown at the notebook in her hand.

She looked reluctant to answer his question and the silence spread between them for several minutes. He let her have her silence and finished the sandwich instead. Only when the sound of him biting into an apple reached her did Jane finally took a deep breath and started to explain.

"I was at the museum in Tromso this morning. Among the items related to the area's history was a barely illegible letter. I wrote down the words I could read and translated them later. It was... ummm..."

"May I see it?" Lael asked and reached halfway, moments later a small notebook was placed in his hand.

In retrospective he wished he wasn't so curious about what she spoke about. He recognized the words, his mother had taught him how to read when he was a child. There were only five words written on the page... five words that told him all he needed to know.

Jane screamed in fright as all six globes suddenly extinguished at the same time, leaving the cave in complete darkness. She sat frozen on the spot for several minutes, not saying anything and trying not to hyperventilate. Only sign that Lael was still present and sitting opposite of her was the ragged breathing she heard coming from his direction.

He was in distress.

Still she remained silent.

Jane suspected it was better to let him break the silence, she didn't want to ask a question that would make him more upset and possibly cause him to leave her alone in the dark cave. She doubted she would find a way out easily without his help.

Jane didn't know how long she sat in complete darkness before a soft mumble, "Monster." broke the silence. Moments later a little spark appeared and Lael's face was illuminated by a single globe of light that appeared above his open palm. After it floated in her direction another one appeared out of thin air. Several more followed and soon the cave was once more bathed in their glow.

"Lael." she softly called his name and was shocked by the look of pain in his eyes that vanished in a heartbeat, but still she had seen it.

"It is what she called me. A monster. It is what I am."

Repeating the question seemed redundant but Jane needed to try again, "Why?"

"They had seen me as I am. I do not know why it happened but it did. My skin... it became blue. I became a monster like the one in the stories parents tell their children about to scare them into obedience."

"Blue..." Jane muttered and started to dig out in her backpack. Soon two bottles of water were on the ground and the bag followed it once she found what she was looking for.

Her hands were shaking slightly as she slowly opened a book that she took along for the excursion cause she planed to read it again on the bus.

"It's just a story. It's nothing more then a story." Jane started to mutter as she tried to find the right section. She suddenly looked at him and smiled, "It's just a story but what if it isn't."


"What do you mean 'you lost her'?" the gruff voice on the other end of the line asked.

"Sir, doctor Foster separated from the excursion group and most likely hid somewhere in the area. We think she only went on a trip to get to the location." the agent answered, "We got her laptop from the hotel room but we can't get in. If we could we would know more."

"So you think she knows the exact location of the radiation source?"

"It is a possibility."

"Yes, we suspect the same thing. Stay in Tromso, I am sending more agents as backup. Find doctor Foster and get her into SHIELD's custody."

"Yes, sir."


The darkness inside the cave matched the darkness outside. But that didn't bother Lael, he could see fairly well even without light. His green eyes could easily see the ragged ceiling way above his head.

He could also easily see the woman sleeping few feet away, wrapped in a blanket he got out of that space and handed to her to keep her warm. She started to shiver as the day came to a close, he didn't feel the chills. He never has.

Lael couldn't help but wonder if it was because of what he actually is.

The tale Jane read from the book was fascinating and under different circumstances he wouldn't give it a second thought. But knowing how his skin becomes sometimes, how his eyes change color until they are blood red...

"It's madness." he whispered to the darkness.

But a part of him wondered if it was perhaps true. A part of him hoped it was. Because that would mean he wasn't the only one. There are others like him somewhere out there, among the millions of stars he loved to watch from the edge of the fjord that hid his home.

Tomorrow he might learn more. Tomorrow they would be exploring what lies behind the cave that is his home.

In the past centuries only once did he wander in the maze and he still doesn't know how long he was wondering it before finally finding the exit. All he knows he was extremely hungry and thirsty by the time he staggered back into the cave. He ate and drunk everything he collected in the previous visit to the nearest town in less then an hour.

And he never attempted to search the maze again.

But Jane thought they should. She also had a plan to prevent them from getting lost and walking in circles.

She moved slightly in her sleep and Lael turned to look at her. She managed to push the blanket down to hr waist so he got up from the ground and slowly moved towards Jane. He didn't want her to get cold so he gently pulled the thick blanket back up and smiled slightly as she sighed in her sleep.

She was fascinating. Seeking knowledge among the stars, hoping to find a way to create a bridge that would connect them.

He sat next to her and kept watching her sleep, while his mind replayed the conversation they had about what was written in the book. It said an artifact was hidden on Earth together with the Frost giant prince.

Lael turned towards the entrance in the maze and silently wondered what would have happened if he had found it back than when he wandered in the first time. He wondered what would happen if they found it tomorrow.

Slowly he lies down on Jane's right and closes his eyes.

And dreams of the frozen lands.